Research: New Insight Into Alzheimer's

[Duer 157099]

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=health&id=4112774

Mice Show No Memory Loss
KGO By Carolyn Johnson

Apr. 24 - KGO - Exciting research out of the Buck Institute for aging in Marin County offers new insight into Alzheimer's disease and how it functions.

Talk of Alzheimer's disease often focuses on the buildup of toxins or plaque formations in the brain that are believed to cause memory loss and brain shrinkage. But scientists at the Buck Institute took a new approach to studying a protein associated with Alzheimer's. And their findings could change the course of research into this disease.

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Veronica Galvin and her team focused on the protein associated with Alzheimer's, but instead of concentrating on the section responsible for releasing amyloid, which forms the toxic plaque in the brain, scientists looked further down the chain and made a change there, initially thinking it might alter the production of amyloid.

Instead, that group of mice with the altered protein still had the plaque buildup in their brains -- but without the memory loss.

[BadgerKid]

1. It's very encouraging but

mouse biochemistry doesn't always correspond to human biochemistry. Still, the mouse studies can provide insights.

There are candidates for Alzheimer's in my family. Thanks for the heads-up! :hi: